Lincolnshire Police has moved to publicly acknowledge the central role played by NHS Protect’s Forensic Computing Unit in bringing an organised crime group to justice – ten members of which were sentenced on Friday 23 June at Leicester Crown Court – as a result of Operation Tarlac.

Since the end of 2011, Lincolnshire Police has been investigating a series of divert frauds (also known as mandate frauds) perpetrated against public bodies including a number of NHS Trusts. Over £12 million was subsequently laundered, much of it overseas.

Numerous UK police forces and agencies in Dubai, Poland and other countries have worked closely to crack the international organised crime group.

Lincolnshire Police’s Press Office states that the NHS targets have included the following bodies:

*Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust ignored the bogus e-mail it received

“I would like to pay tribute to NHS Protect, and in particular the work undertaken by its Forensic Computing Unit, which has provided exceptional support to this investigation,” stated Sgt Mike Billam, head of Lincolnshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit. “It’s an outstanding example of partnership working.”

Sue Frith, interim CEO at the NHS’ Counter Fraud Authority and managing director for NHS Protect, said: “The collaborative work NHS Protect does with other agencies is vital in tackling fraud against the National Health Service. We applaud the work conducted by Lincolnshire Police to bring these criminals to justice. We’ve been working closely with Lincolnshire Police on this matter. Our outstanding Forensic Computing Unit and intelligence, fraud investigation and financial investigation specialists have played key roles.“

About the Author

Brian Sims BA (Hons) Hon FSyI, Editor, Risk UK (Pro-Activ Publications)
Beginning his career in professional journalism at The Builder Group in March 1992, Brian was appointed Editor of Security Management Today in November 2000 having spent eight years in engineering journalism across two titles: Building Services Journal and Light & Lighting.
In 2005, Brian received the BSIA Chairman’s Award for Promoting The Security Industry and, a year later, the Skills for Security Special Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Security Business Sector.
In 2008, Brian was The Security Institute’s nomination for the Association of Security Consultants’ highly prestigious Imbert Prize and, in 2013, was a nominated finalist for the Institute's George van Schalkwyk Award.
An Honorary Fellow of The Security Institute, Brian serves as a Judge for the BSIA’s Security Personnel of the Year Awards and the Securitas Good Customer Award.
Between 2008 and 2014, Brian pioneered the use of digital media across the security sector, including webinars and Audio Shows. Brian’s actively involved in 50-plus security groups on LinkedIn and hosts the popular Risk UK Twitter site.
Brian is a frequent speaker on the conference circuit. He has organised and chaired conference programmes for both IFSEC International and ASIS International and has been published in the national media.
Brian was appointed Editor of Risk UK at Pro-Activ Publications in July 2014.

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